Tone arm assembly

ABSTRACT

A tone arm assembly of the type employed in phonograph assemblies and the like, wherein the tone arm assembly is supported on a unipivot bearing assembly having a pivot point coinciding with an imaginary horizontal line extending through a center of gravity of the tone arm assembly, with the horizontal line extending perpendicular to a longitudinal axis extending through the tone arm assembly from a pick-up cartridge positioned at one end to a counterweight positioned at an opposite end thereof.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of my copending U.S.application Ser. No. 287,958 filed July 29, 1981 which in turn is acontinuation-in-part (CIP) of my then copending application Ser. No.67,264 filed Aug. 17, 1979 both of which applications are now abandoned.The subject matter of application Ser. No. 287,958 and application Ser.No. 67,264 are incorporated into the present application by thisreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a tone arm assembly of thetype employed with sound reproduction equipment, such as phonographassemblies and the like. In particular, the present invention isdirected to a uniquely balanced tone arm assembly capable of distortionfree tracking across even highly warped record surfaces.

Conventional pivoting-type tone arm assemblies usually include anelongated arm member having an intermediate portion pivotally attachedto a support housing mounted on a frame portion of the phonographassembly. A pick-up cartridge and stylus assembly is attached to one endportion of the elongated arm, with a counterweight adjustably mounted onthe opposite end portion. By pivotally attaching the arm to the housingassembly, it is possible for the stylus to move in both the vertical andhorizontal directions as required when tracking over an undulatingrecord surface. In order to achieve high fidelity sound reproduction, itis essential that the stylus be allowed to precisely follow each of thepeaks and troughs formed in the record surface. If the stylus isdeflected from its normal tracking path across the record surface, adegree of distortion is introduced, with the amount of distortion beingdirectly dependent on the amount of deflection incurred by the stylus.The problem facing the prior art is to pivotally balance the tone armabove the record surface in such a manner that the stylus is allowed tomove as freely as possible over the peaks and troughs of the recordsurface.

Early pivoting-type tone arm support assemblies usually employedindependent bearing systems for controlling the vertical and lateralmovements of the tone arm relative to the record surface. For example,ball races, knife edges and even simple sleeved members often made upone or both of the independent bearing systems. Such multiple bearingsystems have proven less than completely satisfactory, in that it ispractically impossible to isolate the bearing systems from affecting oneanother. As a result, the bearing assembly controlling lateral movementtended to inhibit free vertical movement of the tone arm, while thevertical bearing assembly tended to somewhat inhibit the lateralmovement of the tone arm, resulting in an overall reduction in thefidelity of the sound reproduced from the record. Furthermore, becausesuch independent bearing assemblies were generally complex in structure,it was difficult, if not impossible, to maintain the tone arm in abalanced condition over an extended period of time.

In an effort to overcome the type of problems associated with multiplesupport bearing assemblies, it has been suggested that the entire tonearm assembly be balanced on a single, unipivot bearing assembly capableof pivoting the tone arm in both the vertical and the lateral directionrelative to the record surface. In order to balance the tone arm abovethe support housing, the prior art considered it essential that thepivot point of the unipivot bearing assembly be positioned verticallyabove the center of gravity of the tone arm to create a so-calledbeam-balance mounting assembly. Such an arrangement was considered to bestable in both the vertical and horizontal planes, in that any pivotingmovement of the tone arm would generate a restoring force which tendedto restore the tone arm to its initially balanced position. In effect,pivoting movement of the tone arm tended to displace the center ofgravity of the tone arm assembly toward the raised end portion, therebycreating a restoring force which attempted to return the center ofgravity to its initial position. The main drawback of such beam-balancemounting systems is that the restoring forces generated during thevertical pivoting movement of the tone arm opposed the vertical trackingmovement of the stylus, thereby deflecting the stylus from its normalpath. As a result of such deflections, the sound reproduced from therecord was distorted with a corresponding reduction in the fidelity ofthe tone arm assembly.

The beam-balance achieved by positioning the pivot point verticallyabove the center of gravity of the tone arm did provide some sideways orlateral stability to the tone arm. In particular, lateral rollingmovement of the tone arm generated restoring forces which tended toreturn the tone arm toward its proper position.

Typical of such a beam-balanced unipivot tone arm is the assemblysuggested in U.S. Pat. No. 3,231,283 issued Jan. 25, 1966 to Stanton.Stanton clearly suggested that the pivot point be positioned verticallyabove a plane passing through the center of gravity of the tone arm, theplane being defined as extending through the center of gravity of thecounterweight and the head shell, respectively. Because a beam-balanceeffect is created in Stanton, longitudinal pivoting movement and/orlateral rolling movement of the tone arm must create restoring forcesproportional to the degree of movement. These restoring forces attemptto return the tone arm to its initial position and thus adversely affectthe desired tracking force acting on the stylus. As the tone arm inStanton tracks over a warped record surface, the relatively largevertical pivoting movement of the tone arm creates a significantrestoring force which opposes any movement of the tone arm away from itsinitial position. While Stanton provides desirable lateral balancing ofits tone arm, the adverse restoring forces generated during verticaltracking movements of the tone arm render the Stanton assembly totallyunsatisfactory.

Applicant has determined that if the pivot point of a unipivot bearingassembly can be carefully positioned to coincide with an imaginaryhorizontal line intersecting the center of gravity of the tone armsub-assembly and extending perpendicular to an axis joining the headshell with a rear counterweight, vertical tracking movements of such atone arm will not generate unwanted restoring forces. As the tone armvertically pivots while tracking over a record surface, the onlyvertical force acting on the tone arm is the tracking force selectivelychosen through placement of the rear counterweight.

In a further approach to the problem of providing proper balance, U.S.Pat. No. 4,113,265 issued Sept. 12, 1978 to Iyeta suggests employing apair of lateral counterweights for controlling sideways or lateral rollof the tone arm. The counterweights are located forward of the pivotpoint in Iyeta and tend to significantly increase the mass of the tonearm assembly. Furthermore, because the inertia of the tone arm is equalto the mass times the square of the distance from the pivot point, theforward mounted counterweights suggested in Iyeta tend to generate anexcessive inertia level. Another drawback is the lateral counterweightinduced rotation of the tone arm about its longitudinal axis as theIyeta tone arm tracks in a vertical direction on a warped record. Thisphenomenon produces uneven record and stylus wear as well as reducedchannel separation between the left and right signals with a resultingdecrease of stereo effect from the loud speakers.

In order to provide a tone arm with sufficient lateral stability and yeteliminate the types of problems confronting Iyeta, applicant hasdetermined that a pair of laterally arranged counterweights should havea center of gravity disposed vertically below the pivot point and thecenter of gravity of the tone arm sub-assembly. Furthermore, to preventthe tone arm from rolling when tracking warped records, the axis joiningthe counterweights should extend perpendicular to the stylus cantilever.Because the center of gravity of the counterweights is slightly belowthe pivot point, very slight restoring forces are generated duringvertical movement of the tone arm. For example, in one embodimentrestoring forces in the range of 1-5 milligrams (mg) were generated fora 1/4 inch vertical movement of the tone arm. Such restoring forces canbe considered inconsequential when compared to conventional trackingforces measured in grams. In effect, because applicant's speciallyconstructed lateral counterweights provide the tone arm with lateralstability with a minimum increase of inertia, the pivot pointessentially coincides with the center of gravity to effectivelyeliminate vertical restoring forces which plague conventional tone armassemblies of the Stanton type.

As will become evident from a reading of the following specification andclaims, the tone arm assembly of the present invention also includesadditional structural features which further reduce the amount ofdistortion introduced into the sound reproduction process. For example,the tone arm itself is formed from a pair of concentrically extendingtubular members having a plurality of spaced, acoustic dampening bandspositioned therebetween to reduce resonances from being transmittedthrough the tone arm.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a tone arm mountingassembly, wherein a unique unipivot bearing assembly pivotally supportsa tone arm sub-assembly with the bearing assembly having a pivot pointlocated in a horizontal line intersecting the center of gravity of thesub-assembly and extending perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of thetone arm sub-assembly.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a tone armassembly wherein a pair of lateral counterweights extend from eitherside of the tone arm sub-assembly, the counterweights having a center ofgravity aligned with and positioned vertically beneath the pivot pointof the unipivot bearing assembly.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a tone armassembly including a pair of lateral counterweights positioned within avertical plane extending substantially parallel to the major axis of thetone arm stylus and perpendicular to the stylus cantilever.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a tone armassembly, wherein the tone arm itself includes a pair of concentricallyarranged tubular shaft members having a plurality of irregularly spaced,acoustic dampening bands extending therebetween to dampen resonanceswithin the tone arm.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a tone armassembly, wherein a forward portion of the tone arm is releasablyattached to a central housing assembly through a quick-release couplingmounted near the pivot assembly to keep the additional weight of theconnector from appreciably adding effective mass to the tone arm, as itwould if mounted at the front end of the arm, as well as to allow foreasy disassembly of the tone arm assembly for shipment and simplereplacement of pick-up cartridges already mounted on the forwardheadshell assembly.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a tone armmounting assembly which can be easily adjusted in both the vertical andhorizontal directions relative to a frame portion of the phonographassembly.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a tone armassembly, wherein a first type of relatively thick signal wire ispositioned within the forward portion of the tone arm for durability inhandling by the user, and relatively fine Litz-type signal wire ispositioned within the remaining portion of the tone arm as well aswithin the mounting assembly to reduce the drag of the signal wire onthe pivoting movement of the tone arm.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a removablyattached rear counterweight assembly which employs a rack and piniondrive for adjusting the position of the rear counterweight relative tothe stylus without rotating the counterweight.

A yet further object of the present invention is to provide a tone armassembly, wherein a rear counterweight mounted on the tone arm iseffectively decoupled from the tone arm by supporting the counterweightentirely on a resilient material positioned between the counterweightand support collar extending therethrough.

Each of these objects is achieved in a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, wherein a tone arm assembly includes a sub-assemblyhaving a pivot pin extending therefrom. The pin pivotally engages acup-shaped recess formed on a support member, with the pivot pointfalling within a horizontal line intersecting the center of gravity ofthe tone arm sub-assembly and extending perpendicular to an axisextending through the sub-assembly from a pick-up cartridge positionedat one end to a rear counterweight positioned at an opposite end. Thetone arm assembly further includes a pair of aligned, lateralcounterweights attached to opposite side portions of the tone armsub-assembly, with the center of gravity of the lateral counterweightspositioned vertically beneath the pivot point of the tone armsub-assembly. The lateral counterweights are preferably arranged suchthat a vertical plane intersecting the counterweights extendssubstantially parallel to the longitudinal or major axis of the stylusand perpendicular to the stylus cantilever. The tone arm sub-assemblyalso includes a pair of concentrically positioned tubular tone armshaving a plurality of spaced, acoustic dampeners extending therebetween.Preferably, the acoustic dampeners are irregularly spaced from oneanother to absorb vibrations over a wide spectrum of frequences. Asilicone fluid may be positioned between adjacent dampeners to furtherreduce resonances from developing within the tone arm. The unipivotbearing assembly is immersed in a container of heavy silicone-like fluidwhich lubricates the pivot contact surfaces to reduce the forcenecessary for pivoting the tone arm assembly relative to the supportmember, and provides effective damping of any remaining resonances whichmay be present. In particular, the fluid helps damp the low-frequencyresonance peak which is present in all tone arms as a result of theinteraction between the tone arm effective mass and the compliance ofthe stylus assembly, referred to as the CM resonance (Compliance×Mass).The fluid also provides for improved arm tracking on warped records byapplying controlled resistance to rapid vertical arm motion due towarps. This prevents the stylus from alternately digging into the recordsurface on the bottom of a warp, or from leaving the surface of therecord on the top of the warp, as in the tendency with any undamped tonearm pivot. During normal arm motion, this damping resistance iseffectively nil and does not impede the performance of the arm.

The present invention also includes a uniquely constructed rearcounterweight assembly adaptable for removable attachment to a tone armhousing assembly. A cylindrical counterweight is supported on a band orring of dampening material such as material sold under the tradenameSorbothane. The band is mounted on a carrier assembly adjustably mountedon a shaft forming a portion of the tone arm. A rack and pinion driveassembly is conveniently employed for adjusting the distance between therear counterweight and the stylus. Because the counterweight assembly iseasily removed from the tone arm, counterweights of varying weight canbe employed dependent on the weight of the phonograph cartridge.

In a further embodiment, a uniquely constructed counterweight supportassembly which includes a relatively thin ring of elastically deformablematerial positioned within a groove formed in an aperture extendingtransversely through a center portion of the counterweight is employedwith the tone arm assembly. The deformable ring contacts a supportcollar extending through the counterweight, with the deformable ringproviding the entire support for the counterweight. As a result, thecounterweight tends to resonate at substantially the same frequency asthe CM resonance of the pick-up cartridge, discussed hereabove. This, inturn, significantly improves the tracking performance of the tone armassembly, reduces the chance of low-frequency overload and generallyimproves the lower frequency reproduction of the tone arm. In yet afurther embodiment, the single ring of elastically deformable materialis replaced by a plurality of deformable plugs which are fixedlyattached to the support collar and which extend into radial aperturesformed in the counterweight. By adjusting the degree of compression ofthe deformable plugs, it becomes possible to alter or tune the resonanceof the counterweight to compensate for the different resonantfrequencies generated by various pick-up cartridges. The greater theamount of compression of each deformable plug in the direction of thecollar, the higher the resonant frequency of the counterweight. As theplugs are allowed to extend radially outward through the counterweight,the resonant frequency of the counterweight will decrease.

A further, distinctive feature of the present invention is a method ofand apparatus for properly installing the tone arm assembly on aturntable, as well as properly installing the stylus on the tone arm. Inparticular, a base plate assembly supporting the tone arm assembly isfixedly mounted on the turntable. By selectively rotating a leadscrewextending from the base plate assembly, it becomes possible to alter theposition of the tone arm assembly until an opening in the emptyheadshell is vertically aligned with a fixture removable mounted on theturntable spindle. When the tone arm assembly is properly aligned,lowering the tone arm will result in a portion of the mounting fixtureentering the opening formed in the headshell.

Once the tone arm assembly is properly positioned relative to theturntable, the tone arm can be disconnected to allow for installation ofthe pick-up cartridge on the headshell. An alignment fixture is broughtinto abutment with the head-shell and adjusted until the stylus tipaligns with a predetermined mark on the alignment fixture. By carefullyadjusting the position of the cartridge, it also becomes possible toalign the stylus cantilever with a predetermined mark on the alignmentfixture. Ater the pick-up cartridge is properly aligned, it is fixedlyattached to the headshell by tightening conventional fastening screws orthe like.

The present invention will become apparent from a reading of thefollowing specification and claims, together with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein similar elements are referred to and are indicated bysimilar reference numerals.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to obtain a better understanding of the present invention,reference is made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a side view of a tone arm assembly formed in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a top view of a tone arm assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3A shows a partial cross-sectional view of the tone arm supportassembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3B shows a partial cross-sectional view of a modified supportassembly;

FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a forward portion of the tone armof FIG. 1 taken between the section ends A--A';

FIG. 5A shows a top view of the tone arm support assembly taken alongsection B--B of FIG. 3A;

FIG. 5B shows a bottom view of the tone arm support assembly taken alongsection C--C of FIG. 3A;

FIG. 6 shows a further side view of the tone arm assembly and associatedanti-skate mechanism attached thereto;

FIG. 7 shows an exploded view of the bearing mount assembly employed inthe anti-skate mechanism shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 shows a partial side view of a quick-release coupling assemblyemployed in the embodiment of FIG. 1, with the coupling assembly beingin the disconnected mode;

FIG. 9 shows a partial side view of a tone arm assembly formed inaccordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 shows a side view of a portion of the support shaft employed inthe embodiment of FIG. 3A;

FIG. 11A shows a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of acounterweight assembly formed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 11B shows a cross-sectional view of the counterweight assemblytaken along the plane D--D in FIG. 11A.

FIG. 12 shows a partial top view of a tone arm assembly formed inaccordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 shows a side view of a further counterweight assembly adaptablefor use with the present invention;

FIG. 14 shows a top view of the counterweight assembly of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 shows a cross-sectional side view of the counterweight assemblytaken along the plane E--E in FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 shows a cross-sectional end view of the counterweight assemblytaken along the plane F--F in FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 shows a top view of the tone arm assembly during installation;

FIG. 18 shows an exploded view of the tone arm installation assembly;

FIG. 19 shows a perspective view of the stylus alignment assemblyadaptable for aligning the pick-up cartridge in a tone arm headshell;

FIG. 20 shows an exploded view of an anti-skate employed in thepreferred embodiment of FIG. 12;

FIG. 21 shows a blown-up perspective view of a portion of the tone armassembly and attached anti-skate mechanism employed in the embodiment ofFIG. 12;

FIG. 22 shows an exploded view of a preferred tone arm support assemblyemployed with the embodiment of FIG. 12; and,

FIG. 23 shows a cross-sectional view taken along the section G--G inFIG. 22.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Rreferring to the drawings, and to FIG. 1 in particular, a tone armassembly formed in accordance with the present invention is generallydesignated at 10. Tone arm assembly 10 includes a housing assembly 12having an arm 14 extending generally perpendicularly therefrom. Housingassembly 12 is adjustably supported above a frame portion 16 of aphonograph assembly or the like in a manner to be explained in detailhereafter.

Referring to FIG. 4, arm 14 includes an outer, tubularly shaped member18, and an inner, tubularly shaped member 20 extending concentricallytherethrough. Tubular member 20 is formed with an outer diameter whichis less than the inner diameter of tubular member 18, allowing aplurality of band-shaped acoustical dampening members 22 to bepositioned between inner and outer tubular members 18 and 20,respectively. Dampening members 22 serve the dual purpose of maintainingthe tubular members 18 and 20 in their proper concentric alignment aswell as suppressing resonances from being transmitted through arm 14. Ina preferred embodiment, bands 22 may be formed of an energy absorbingmaterial such as sold under the tradename "Sorbothane". Alternatively,the bands could each be formed from a single piece of any conventionalrubber-like material positioned between tubular members 18 and 20.Furthermore at least some of the bands are preferably spaced from oneanother at irregular distances of between one-to-two inch intervals tominimize the build-up of resonance nodes. A layer of silicone-likerubber material can be injected into the gaps formed between adjacentbands 22 to further supress resonances, as well as to allow for easyassembly of arm 14.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an end portion of pick-up arm 14 fixedlyengages a cartridge support member or head shell 24. For reasons whichwill become clear, head shell 24 must be both strong as well aslightweight. As a result, headshell 24 may be made of a material such asmachined aluminum, or a moulded resin compound such as Dupont "Rynite".Head shell 24 includes a sleeve-shaped end portion 26 which surroundsand engages pick-up arm 14. At least one web-shaped gusset 28 extendsbetween a first leg portion 30A and a second leg portion 30B attachedthereto. Leg portion 30A joins end portion 26 and extends verticallywhen the tone arm assembly 10 is mounted so the arm 14 extends generallyhorizontally above pick-up arm 14, with leg portion 30B extendingsubstantially parallel to arm 14. As best shown in FIG. 2, leg portion30B includes a first section 32 which joins leg portion 30A, and asecond section 34 which forms an oblique angle with section 32. Finallyhead shell 24 includes a raised end portion 36 integrally attached tosection 34 and having a curved lower surface to allow an operator toeasily grasp and lift end portion 36 and attached arm 14 from a recordsurface, not shown. A plurality of apertures 38 extend through legportion 30B of headshell 24 in order to minimize the overall weight ofhead shell 24. The L-shaped configuration of headshell 24 isspecifically chosen such that the center of gravity of the pick-upcartridge is horizontally aligned with the center of gravity of arm 14and a counterweight 136 for reasons which will become clear hereafter.The procedure of aligning the stylus tip during initial installation ofthe cartridge will be discussed in detail in a further portion of thespecification.

Turning now to FIG. 3A, a cross-sectional view of housing assembly 12 isshown. Housing assembly 12 encloses and supports a unipivot bearingassembly capable of supporting tone arm assembly 10 when pivoted througha vertical plane as may occur during the tracking movement of arm 14across a warped record surface without generating adversely directedrestoring forces. In particular, housing assembly 12 includes asubstantially cup-shaped cap member 40 and a separate, sleeve-shapedbody member 42 positioned adjacent thereto. Each of the members 40 and42 includes a plurality of complementary thread 44 formed alongconfronting end portions in order to threadedly attach members 40 and 42to each other. Inner wall surfaces of members 40 and 42 enclose and forma hollow chamber 46 which extends longitudinally through a substantialportion of housing assembly 12. In addition, cap member 40 furtherincludes a threaded aperture 48 extending therethrough, with aperture 48being aligned with a longitudinal axis through a center portion of capmember 40. Finally, a pin member 50 includes a threaded end portionextending within aperture 48 and a further, cylindrically-shaped hollowend portion 52 extending through a portion of chamber 46.

A support shaft 54 extends vertically above frame portion 16 of thephonograph assembly and includes an elongated, cup-shaped end portion 56positioned within chamber 46 such that end portion 56 surrounds thehollow end portion 52 of pin member 50. The cup-shaped end portion 56includes a conical end surface 58 having a cup-shaped recess 62 formedin a radially central portion thereof. Furthermore, a pivot pin member60 includes a cylindrically-shaped end portion extending within thehollow end portion 52 of pin 50 and further includes a tapered endportion pivotally engaging recess 62 as best shown in FIG. 3A. In apreferred embodiment of the present invention, both pivot pin 60 andconical end surface 58 are formed of an extremely hard material, such astungsten carbide, thereby allowing the pivot assembly to be polished toa smoothness comparable to sapphire but with increased load and shockcapability. A heavy-weight silicone type fluid is introduced intocup-shaped end portion 56 to a level sufficient to immerse the taperedend portion of pivot 60 therein. The silicone fluid functions to reducethe friction between the engaging surfaces of pin 60 and recess 62 byforming a thin film of lubricant therebetween. More importantly, thefluid also dampens any resonances introduced into the pivot assembly toimprove tracking of warped records as discussed previously.

Support shaft 54 further includes a slot-shaped opening 64 extendingthrough an outer surface portion positioned adjacent to the cup-shapedend portion 56. Shaft 54 is also formed with a threaded end portion 68positioned opposite from end portion 56, with a hollow passageway 70extending through end portion 68 as far as slot 64. End portion 68 ofshaft 54 extends through an opening 72 formed through frame portion 16of the phonograph. In order to support shaft 54 in its proper positionrelative to frame 16, a base plate assembly surrounds shaft 54 and isfixedly attached to frame 16 in a manner to be described. The base plateassembly includes a substantially rectangularly-shaped base plate member74 formed with an elongated slot 76 extending through a central portionthereof. Base plate 74 is fixedly attached to frame portion 16 via aplurality of conventional connecting fasteners 78. The base plateassembly further includes a bushing member 80 having a hollow sleeveportion 82 of sufficient inner diameter to allow support shaft 54 toextend therethrough. Bushing 80 also includes a flange-shaped endportion 84 integrally attached to and extending radially outwardly fromsleeve portion 82. The base plate assembly also includes a slide member86 formed with a transverse aperture having a diameter sufficient toallow slide member 86 to surround sleeve portion 82 of bushing 80.Bushing 80 also includes a rib-shaped portion 81 which extends radiallyinwardly into a slot-shaped opening 83 formed in an outer surface of endportion 68, and best shown in FIG. 10. As a result, rib portion 81prevents shaft 54 from rotating during vertical and horizontaladjustment thereof.

A vertical adjustment member 88 comprises a thumb screw formed with athreaded central opening which surrounds and mates with the threaded endportion 68 of support shaft 54. By rotating screw 88 in either theclockwise or counterclockwise direction, shaft 54 is caused to move in alongitudinal direction therethrough. As a result, housing assembly 12 iseither raised or lowered relative to frame 16.

In an alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 3B, a locking mechanism isshown for preventing accidental movement of shaft 54 relative to bushing80. In particular, a threaded aperture 85 extends substantially radiallythrough end portion 84 of bushing 80. A plug 87 formed of a nylon-likematerial is positionable within aperture 85 and can be forced againstend portion 68 of shaft 54 by introduction of a set screw 89 intoaperture 85. Set screw 89 may be selectively advanced through aperture85 until plug 87 is pressed against end portion 68 with a forcesufficient to prevent accidental movement of the shaft. It is to benoted in the embodiment of FIG. 3B that rib portion 81 and slot 83 havebeen eliminated, with set screw 89 and plug 87 functioning to preventmisalignment of the tone arm assembly.

Returning now to a discussion of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3A, 5Aand 5B, slide member 86 and flanged end portion 84 of bushing 80 overlapopposite sides of slot 76, with a pair of connecting pins 94 extendingbetween and fixedly engaging slide 86 and flange 84 to one another. Inparticular, slide member 86 includes a pair of lower lip portions 90Aand 90B which engage recessed wall surfaces 92A and 92B formed in alower side portion of plate 74 on either side of slot 76, while flangedend portion 84 includes a pair of overlapping lip portions 93A and 93Bwhich engage an upper side portion of plate 74 on either side of slot76. This unique overlapping construction of flanged end portion 84 andattached slide 86 functions to prevent slide 86 from verticallyseparating from base plate 74, while at the same time allowing slide 86and flanged end portion 84 to move in a transverse direction along slot76. A first support sleeve assembly 100 is fixedly mounted on the baseplate 74 and a second, threaded support sleeve assembly 102 is fixedlymounted on slide member 86. A connecting pin 104 includes a non-threadedportion extending through the first sleeve assembly 100, with acircumferentially extending groove formed in pin 104 receiving an endportion of a key member extending from sleeve 100. Pin member 104 alsoincludes a threaded end portion extending through the threaded supportsleeve assembly 102.

In order to adjust the horizontal position of support shaft 54 relativeto base plate 74, it is merely necessary to rotate pin member 104 ineither a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. Because of theengagement between the key extending from sleeve 100 and the grooveformed in pin 104, pin 104 may rotate relative to sleeve 100 but isconstrained from moving in the longitudinal direction relative thereto.In effect, the key and groove connection fixes the position of pin 104relative to base plate 74. However, because sleeve 102 and pin 104 arethreadedly interconnected, rotation of pin 104 results in the horizontalmovement of sleeve 102 and attached slide member 86, with the movementof slide member 86 causing a similar movement in bushing 80 and shaftmember 54 extending therethrough.

In a further, preferred embodiment of the present invention, bushing 80and thumb screw 88 are replaced by an alignment assembly generallyindicated by numeral 69' in FIG. 22. The alignment assembly includes agenerally rectangular mounting block 70' which is slidably mounted onbase plate 74 in FIG. 3A. Mounting block 70' includes a pair of openings71' and 72' sufficient in size to allow a pair of shoulder bolts to passcompletely through mounting block 70' and enter a slide member disposedon an opposite of the base plate, such as slide member 86. Such anarrangement allows mounting block 70' to reciprocate in oppositedirections coinciding with a longitudinal axis Q--Q extending throughmounting block 70'. In order to initiate movement of mounting block 70',a threaded adjustment pin, not shown, is inserted into a threaded bore75' extending through a portion of mounting block 70' in a directionparallel to longitudinal axis Q--Q. By selective rotation of such athreaded pin, it becomes possible to alter the position of mountingblock 70' relative to its fixedly positioned base plate.

Mounting block 70' functions to support a tone arm support shaft in amanner to be explained. In particular, mounting block 70' includes acavity 80' having a generally rectangular configuration. Cavity 80'includes an end surface 81' extending parallel to longitudinal axis Q--Qand located along a plane substantially bisecting mounting block 70'into two equal portions. End surface 81' includes a semi-cylindricalportion 82' extending outwardly from cavity 80', with surface portion82' having a radius of curvature substantially equal to a radius ofcurvature of a tone arm support shaft, not shown. Slidably disposedwithin cavity 80' is a clamping block 83' having a semi-cylindricalsurface portion 84' aligned with and extending away from surface portion82' of cavity 80'. By carefully sizing confronting surface portions 82'and 84' to form a cylindrical opening, it becomes possible to insert atone arm support shaft completely through mounting block 70'. Clampingblock 83' is pressed into frictional engagement with such a tone armsupport shaft by appropriate rotation of a set screw 85' extendingthrough mounting block 70' and into contact with clamping block 83'.

When it becomes necessary to alter the vertical position of a tone armsupport shaft clamped within mounting block 70', it is only necessary torotate set screw 85', allowing a pair of biasing springs 86' and 87' topress clamping block 83' away from end surface 81' of cavity 80'. Eachbiasing spring extends between a separate bore formed in clamping block83' and a portion of end surface 81'. However, it is understood thateach bore could be formed in end surface 81' rather than in clampingblock 83'. The clamping block 83' is preferably formed of nylon or thelike, which will not scratch or mar the tone arm support shaft.

Referring to FIG. 3a, a hollow attachment assembly 110 is connected to aside portion of body member 42 via a plurality of bolt-like connectingmembers 112. Attachment assembly 110 includes a hollow, hub-shaped endportion 114 extending perpendicularly away from housing assembly 12 andhaving a plurality of threads 116 formed along an outer surface portionthereof as best shown in FIG. 8. Pick-up arm 14 includes aconically-shaped end portion 118 which is formed with an outer diameterslightly less than the outer diameter of hub-shaped end portion 114. Endportion 118 includes an end surface having a radially directed flange120 extending circumferentially thereabout, with a rotatable lockingring 122 also surrounding end portion 118. Locking ring 122 includes aninner diameter having a plurality of threads which complement thethreads 116 formed on hub-shaped end portion 114. Finally, end portion118 of pick-up arm 14 encloses and supports a plurality of maleelectrical connectors 124 which are complementary in shape to aplurality of female electrical connectors supported within hub-shapedend portion 114.

To join pick-up arm 14 to housing assembly 12, the end portion 118 isbrought into abutting relationship with hub end portion 114. This, inturn, brings the male electrical connectors 124 into engagement with thecorresponding female electrical connectors. The threaded inner diameterof locking ring 122 is then brought into engagement with the threads 116formed on hub portion 114. Locking ring 122 is then rotated onto hubportion 114 until an inner flange formed on locking ring 122 contactsstop flange 120 formed on end portion 118 of pick-up arm 14, therebypreventing further movement of locking ring 122.

Referring again to FIG. 3A, a balancing arm 130 extends perpendicularlyfrom body member 42, with arm 130 being displaced 180° from attachmentassembly 110 as measured about the circumference of sleeve member 42. Asupport collar 132 surrounds a portion of arm 130, with collar 132including a hub-shaped portion and an integrally attached sleeve-shapedportion. A set screw 134 extends within a radial aperture formed throughthe hub-shaped portion of collar 132, with set screw 134 beingselectively advanced through collar 132 until contact is made with arm130, thereby fixedly attaching collar 132 to arm 130. A counterweight136 includes a transverse opening extending through a longitudinal axisthereof, with the transverse opening having a diameter considerablylarger than an outer diameter of the sleeve-shaped portion of collar132. A groove 137A is formed in the inner wall surface of the transverseopening extending through counterweight 136, wherein a preferredembodiment of the present invention groove 137A has a depth ofsubstantially one-sixteenth (1/16) of an inch and a width ofsubstantially one-eighth (1/8) of an inch, respectively. A ring ofelastically deformable material 138 is positioned within groove 137A,with ring 138 having a radial inner surface in frictional contact with asimilarly shaped groove 137B formed in the sleeve portion of collar 132.Resilient ring 138 provides the sole support for counterweight 136 andis therefore capable of suppressing vibrations from being transmittedbetween counterweight 136 and arm 130. In one embodiment of the presentinvention, each of the arms 14 and 130 will share a singlelongitudinally directed axis extending therethrough. Furthermore, arms14, 130 and housing 12 form a tone arm sub-assembly having a center ofgravity located in a horizontal plane extending through the center ofgravity of tone arm 14 as well as counter balance arm 130. By carefullyadjusting the position of pin 50 and cup-shaped member 56, the pivotpoint of the unipivot bearing can be made to coincide with a horizontalline intersecting the center of gravity of the tone arm sub-assembly andextending perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the tone armsub-assembly. When such a condition exists, the tone arm sub-assemblyhas achieved a balanced condition wherein arm 14 can be pivoted in thevertical direction without generating appreciable restoring forcescapable of affecting the position of the tone arm sub assembly. Eventhough counterweight 136 can be moved to apply a tracking force to thepick-up cartridge attached to pick-up arm 14, such a tracking force doesnot constitute a restoring force as discussed hereabove, in that thetracking force is always directed toward the record surface while therestoring forces act in a direction opposite to the direction in whichpick-up arm 14 is pivoted.

An alternative embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 9,wherein a pick-up arm 14' permanently engages an attachment assembly110' which, in turn, is attached to a housing assembly 12 via fasteners112. In the alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the counter-balanceweight 136 and resilient ring are similar to the weight and ring shownin FIG. 3A. However, the set screw 134 has been eliminated and a collar132' is formed with a threaded inner surface which corresponds to athreaded outer surface formed on a counter-balance arm 130'. By rotatingcollar 132' in either the clockwise or counterclockwise directions, bothcollar 132' and counterweight 136 are moved in a longitudinal directionrelative to arm 130'.

In a yet further embodiment shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the grooves 137A and B and the elastically deformable ring 138 have been eliminated.Rather, a plurality of preferably four cylindrical-shaped deformableplugs 139A-D are each fixedly attached to a sleeve-shaped portion ofcollar 132. Each of the plugs 139A-D may be circumferentially spaced atan interval of substantially 90° from adjacent plugs, and each of theplugs 139A-D extends into a separate radial aperture 141A-D formedthrough counterweight 136. In addition, a plurality ofcylindrical-shaped nylon plugs 143A-D are each introduced into radialouter end portions of apertures 141A-D. Finally, a plurality of setscrew fastener assemblies 145A-D are also introduced into each radiallydisposed aperture 141A-D, respectively. By rotating the set screws145A-D in a clockwise direction, end portions of the set screws areadvanced into contact with nylon plugs 143A-D. Further clockwiserotation of set screws 145A-D forces the plugs 143A-D to abut andcompress deformable plugs 139A-D, respectively. By altering the size ofeach plug 139A-D, the vibrational dampening characteristics of the plugare also altered, thereby allowing one to alter or tune the resonantfrequency of the counterweight in order to compensate for variouspick-up cartridges employed with the tone arm assembly. In particular,as the initial size of the plugs 139A-D is reduced by compression of theplugs, the higher the resonant frequency obtainable by thecounterweight. Likewise, as the set screws 145A-D are withdrawn, thedeformable plugs 139A-D expand and yield the lowest frequency.

The counterweight assembly discussed hereabove in conjunction with FIG.3A can only work properly if the center of gravity of counterweight 136coincides with a longitudinal axis of balancing arm 130. If eithercounter-weight 136 or ring 138 were not "true", rotation ofcounter-weight 136 would serve to displace the center of gravity ofcounter-weight 136 from its proper position.

In order to overcome this potentially serious problem, a preferredcounterweight assembly 200' shown in FIGS. 12-16 has been carefullyconstructed to eliminate rotation of the counterweight. As shown in FIG.15, a balancing arm 202' is attached to a mounting shoe 204', itselfattached to sleeve-shaped body member 42. In particular, mounting shoe204' is formed with a vertically extending, substantially T-shapedretaining pocket 206'. Retaining pocket 206' extends downwardly from anupper surface of shoe 204' to a position approximately three-quartersthe distance to a bottom surface of shoe 204'. A further opening 208'extends through the vertically lower portion of shoe 204' in a directionsubstantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of pocket 206'.During assembly, a conventional fastening screw 210' is inserted throughopening 208' and into an aligned opening formed in member 42, thusfixedly attaching shoe 204' to member 42.

Balancing arm 202' is preferably formed with a substantially rectangularcross-sectional configuration and includes a T-shaped end portion 212'compatible in size and shape to the T-shaped pocket 206' formed inmounting shoe 204'. However, it is considered within the scope of thepresent invention to form balancing arm 202' with any conventionalcross-sectional shape. Likewise, end portion 212' can be formed of anyconventional shape, provided that pocket 206' is formed with acompatible shape to allow insertion of end portion 212' therein.

An indexing cursor 214' is slidable mounted on balancing arm 202' at alocation remotely positioned from end portion 212'. Cursor 214' includesa hollow body portion 216' surrounding balancing arm 202' and anelongated rod portion 218' extending parallel to balancing arm 202'. Apointer 220' extends from an end of rod 218' and is conveniently alignedwith a graduated scale 222' covering a vertically upper surface portionof balancing arm 202'. Finally, an adjustment screw 224' extends throughbody portion 216' into frictional engagement with balancing arm 202' toreleasably fix the position of cursor 214 relative to scale 222' in amanner which will become clear.

A carrier assembly 230' includes a U-shaped sleeve 231', partialencloses balancing arm 202' as best shown in FIG. 16. Carrier sleeve231' includes a pair of parallel extending leg portions 232A' and 232B'interconnected by an intermediate portion 232C'. Portions 232A-C' aresized to slidably engage confronting surface portions of balancing arm202' when the arm is fully inserted into the carrier assembly. A piniongear 234' is mounted for joint rotation with a drive shaft 236'extending between leg portions 232A' and 232B', respectively. Driveshaft 236' engages an adjusting handle 238' partially shown in FIG. 16and better shown in FIG. 14. By rotating handle 238' in either aclockwise or counterclockwise direction, it becomes possible to rotatepinion gear 234' in a corresponding direction. A wave-spring washer 239'is inserted between the adjusting handle 238' and carrier leg 232A' toprovide locking friction for preventing undesired rotation of piniongear 234'. Washer 239' may be formed of metal, Teflon or anyconventional material. Furthermore, washer 239' can be located on anyconvenient portion of drive shaft 236', providing that washer 239'contacts a relatively fixed surface to provide a frictional brakingforce.

A hollow, cylindrically-shaped counterweight 240' surrounds an endportion of carrier assembly 230' confronting mounting shoe 240'.Counterweight 240' may be formed as a single member, or counterweight240' may comprise a pair of ring-shaped members 242' and 244' disposedside-by-side as shown in FIG. 15. If two members are employed, aclamping ring 245' is preferably inserted in facing groves extendingabout the circumferance of each member. Regardless of whether one, twoor a plurality of members are employed to form counterweight 240', theentire counterweight is supported on a ring of energy absorbing material246' mounted in a groove 247' formed in an outer surface carrierassembly 230'. Preferably, ring 245' is formed of an energy abosrbingmaterial of the type sold under the tradename "Sorbothane", however, itis within the scope of the present invention to employ any conventionalenergy absorbing material.

In order to alter the position of counterweight 240', a lower surface ofbalancing arm 202' includes a rack gear 248' adaptable for intermeshingwith pinion gear 234'. By appropriate rotation of handle 238', driveshaft 236' and pinion gear 234' relative to rack gear 248', it ispossible to adjust the position of the carrier assembly andcounterweight mounted therein along the relatively fixed balancing arm202'.

To properly calibrate counterweight assembly 200', it is necessary tofirst adjust the position of counterweight 240 until the tone armachieves a zero balanced position. Such a zero balanced position ischaracterized by the tone arm maintaining a rest position when left onits own. Once zero balance is achieved, the indexing cursor 214' is slidalong balancing arm 202' until pointer 220' is vertically aligned with agraduated scale marking of zero (0). In order to apply a positivetracking force to the tone arm stylus, it is merely necessary to rotatehandle 238' and thereby adjust the position of carrier assembly 230' andcounterweight 240' along balancing arm 202' in a direction toward member42 and away from indexing cursor 214'. After carrier assembly 230' hasmoved a predetermined distance, the pointer will become aligned with anumeral, typically one (1) to three (3) on graduated scale 220'. Thisposition may conveniently correspond to the required tracking force ingrams depending on the measuring scale employed.

One of the distinctive advantages of counterweight assembly 200' is theability to quickly alter the particular counterweight employed as may berequired by the weight of the pick-up cartridge. Depending on the weightof the pick-up cartridge (often between 2.5 and 20 grams) it is nowpossible to employ one of several counterweights by merely removing afirst counterweight assembly and substituting a second, entirelyseparate counterweight assembly. In conventional assemblies employing asingle counterweight, the weight may have to be positioned aconsiderable distance from the pivot point to properly balance the phonocartridge. Such an arrangement significantly increases the overallinertia of the tonearm assembly. In comparison, the ability to changecounterweights as with the present invention allows for positioning ofthe properly chosen weight much closer to the pivot point, therebyminimizing the inertia of the system.

In order to provide sideways or lateral stability for the tone armsub-assembly shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 6, respectively, a pair of lateralcounterweights 144 and 146 are mounted on a pair of threaded shafts 148and 150, with the shafts extending in perpendicular directions fromopposite side portions of body member 42. In particular, each shaft 148and 150 extends within a plane which is bisected by a longitudinal axisextending between pick-up arm 14 and counter-balance arm 130.Furthermore, shafts 148 and 150 are aligned with one another and areattached to a portion of body member 42 such that the center of gravityof the counterweights 144 and 146 is located on a line extendingvertically beneath the pivot point formed by pivot pin 60 and recess 62.As a result, a beam-balance mounting system is achieved with respect tosideways or lateral pivoting movement of housing assembly 12 andattached pick-up arm 14. This means that any sideways pivoting movementof pick-up arm 14 toward either of the counterweights 144 or 146generates a restoring force which attempts to return pivot pin 60 to itsinitially vertical position. Furthermore, the restoring forces generatedby counterweights 144 and 146 do not appreciably affect the verticalpivoting movement of the tone arm sub-assembly as occurs during verticaltracking over a record surface. In an embodiment of the presentinvention, both of the counterweights 144 and 146 are concentricallymounted on their respective shafts 148 and 150. However, it isconsidered within the scope of the present invention to eccentricallymount each of the counterweights 144 and 146, provided the center ofgravity of the resulting assembly is located on a line extendingvertically beneath the pivot point of the unipivotly supported tone armsub-assembly.

In a preferred embodiment of the tone arm sub-assembly shown in FIG. 12,a pair of counterweights 144' and 146' are disposed along an axis R--Rextending intersecting a line vertically beneath the center of gravityof a tone arm sub-assembly 10'. In order to prevent the stylus, notshown, from rolling when vertically tracking over a warped recordsurface, it is necessary to displace axis R--R from a transverse axisT--T by an angle α. Angle α is identical to the offset angle α thestylus cantilever, aligned with axis S--S in FIG. 2, is displaced fromthe longitudinal axis Y--Y of the tone arm assembly also shown in FIG.2. In effect, lateral counterweight 146' and counterweight 144' are eachdisplaced by an angle as measured in a clockwise direction from traverseaxis T--T. The precise angle α is inversely related to the actualdistance measured between a vertical plane extending through the stylustip and a further vertical plane extending through the pivot assembly inthe center of the housing assembly. For example, if the actual distanceis measured to be 240 mm, angle α should be 22.9°. In comparison, for adistance of 235 mm, angle α becomes 23.4°. Thus, α is determined by thelocation of the stylus tip relative to the pivot point. The axis R--R isthen arranged to be perpendicular to the axis S--S defined by the angleα. By pivoting the counterweights 144' and 146' by an angle α as shownin FIG. 12, the vertical pivoting plane for counterweights 144' and 146'extends parallel to a major axis through the pick-up cartridge andperpendicular to the stylus cantilever. As a result, the stylus ismaintained in its correct, upright position at all times when verticallytracking over even a warped record surface. In comparison, lateralcounterweights extending tranversely to the longitudinal axis of a tonearm sub-assembly cannot preven the tone arm from rolling in a transversedirection as the stylus moves in a vertical direction along warpedrecord surface. The distinctive advantage of displacing the axis of thelateral counterweights as set forth hereabove thus becomes immediatelyapparent in maintaing an upright position of the stylus of the verticaltracking movement.

As shown in FIG. 3a, a holder assembly 160 preferably formed of aluminummaterial surrounds and is fixedly attached to support shaft 54 at aposition adjacent to slot 64. Holder assembly 160 provides a support foran anti-skate mechanism, a manual arm-life assembly, and an arm restassembly all attached thereto. In particular, holder assembly 160includes a forward portion 161 extending substantially parallel to andspaced beneath pick-up arm 14 when pick-up arm 14 is in a rest position.Forward end portion 161 includes a horizontal leg portion 162 extendingsubstantially perpendicular thereto, such that leg portion 162 andsupport shaft 148 extend substantially parallel to one another whenshaft 148 is in the rest position. Leg portion 162 includes a verticallyextending flange 164 attached to an end portion thereof, with flange 164extending substantially parallel to shaft 54. It is noted from FIG. 2,that flange 164 is inclined at an angle to a longitudinal axis ZZextending through leg portion 162. Flange 164 further includes anaperture 166 extending transversely through an upper end portionthereof, with a threaded screw 168 rotatably supported within aperture166. As shown in FIG. 7, a miniature precision bearing assembly 170 ismounted on threaded screw 168, with a ring-shaped sleeve 172 rotatablymounted on bearing assembly 170. A washer member 174 is also mounted onscrew 168, such that washer 174 is located between bearing assembly 170and flange 164. Ring-shaped sleeve 172 includes a pair of apertures 176and 178 being circumferentially spaced 90° from one another. A first pinmember 180 is supported within aperture 176, while a second pin member182 is supported within aperture 178. Each of the pin members 180 and182 extend outwardly from ring-shaped member 172 in a substantiallyradial direction. A notch 184 is cut in a radially outer end portion ofpin 180 and a counterweight 186 mounted on pin 182 is adjusted via a setscrew 188 extending through an aperture 190 in the counterweight andinto frictional contact with pin 182. Finally, a thread 192 ofpolyester-like material includes a first end portion fixed within notch184 of pin 180 and a second end portion fixed about counter-balance arm130.

The operation of the anti-skate mechanism is best shown in FIG. 6,wherein the anti-skate mechanism has been illustrated at three positionswhich occur during operation of the tone arm assembly 10. In particular,when pick-up arm 14 is in the rest position, the pin and counterweightassume a position substantially as designated at 180" and 186",respectively. As pick-up arm 14 is pivoted to bring the stylus intocontact with the beginning of the record, the anti-skate mechanism movesto the positions designated at 180' and 186' due to the pull of thread192 on pin 180. Finally, as the stylus approaches the end of the record,the anti-skate mechanism assumes the position designated at 180 and 186,respectively. By carefully adjusting the position of counterweight 186on pin 182, an anit-skate force is generated which tends to maintain thetone arm assembly 10 in its proper lateral position relative to therecord surface, not shown. Because of the rolling action of the thread192 against the outer surface of housing assembly 12, the frictiondeveloped between the thread and the housing is effectivelynon-existant. It is to be noted that thread 192 should extend insubstantially the same horizontal plane which includes the pivot pointof the unipivot bearing assembly when the anti-skate mechanism assumesthe position 180 and 186 to prevent tone arm assembly 10 from twistingabout shaft 54.

A further, preferred embodiment of an anti-skate mechanism employed withpresent invention is shown in FIGS. 12 and 20. In the embodiment of FIG.12, leg portions 162 and 164 have been eliminated. Rather, a biasingbearing holder 180' is threaded directly into a holder assembly 160'. Asshown in detail in FIG. 20, bearing holder 180' includes a threaded endportion 181'; and a cup-shaped end portion 182' oppositely disposedtherefrom. A ball bearing assembly 183' is pressed into a cavity 148'defined by cup-shaped end portion 182'. An attachment screwn 184'extends through a central opening 185' in bearing assembly 183' and isthreaded into engagement with a bias bearing collar 186', therebyaligning collar 186' with holder 180'. Collar 186' has a substantiallycylindrical configuration and includes a pair of circumferentiallyspaced apertures 187' and 188' formed in outer surface portions thereof.Preferably, apertures 187' and 188' are circumferentially spacedsubstantially 90° from one another in a manner similar to apertures 176and 178 formed in sleeve 172 in the embodiment of FIG. 7. A first lever189' extends outwardly from opening 187', while as second lever 190'extends outwardly from opening 188'. Each lever includes a threaded endportion adaptable for engaging threads formed in a respective opening.Furthermore, opening 188'

preferably forms an angled trajectory, such that an acute angle of lessthan 90° is formed between second lever 190' and a longitudinal axis offolder 180'. A substantially cylindrical counterweight 191' is mountedsuch that second lever 190' extends completely through an axialpassageway 192' formed through counterweight 191'. A spring-loaded ballplunger 193' extends through a radial opening in counterweight 191' andfrictional contacts lever 190' to prevent undesirable slippage ofcounterweight 191'. A pair of notches or grooves 194A' and 194B' formedin spaced portions of lever 190' provide end adjustment positions forcounterweight 191'. As counterweight 191' is moved along lever 190', thespring-pressed plunger provides rolling resistance. When either of thegrooves 194A' or 194B' are encountered, the plunger is spring pressedinto the groove to prevent further movement of the counterweight.

The first lever 189' includes a notch or groove 195' formed at alocation remotely disposed from collar 186', with notch 195' receiving athread of polyester-like material 196' extending from shoe 204'. Anopposite end of thread 196' is retained in a boss 197' attached tomounting shoe 204'. Boss 197' includes a slotted opening 198' sufficientin size to allow insertion of thread 196' and yet of insufficient sizeto allow passage of an aluminum crimp 199' attached to thread 196'.

A manual arm lift assembly is generally designated at 194, and includesa vertical lift member 196 and a horizontally extending support surface198 attached thereto. A control arm 200 is attached to the vertical liftmember 196 through a conventional cam arrangement such that selectivepivotal movement of control arm 200 results in the vertical movement oflift member 196 and attached surface 198, thereby raising pick-up arm14. A substantially L-shaped rest member 202 extends parallel to pick-uparm 14 and includes an end portion attached to the forward portion 161of holder assembly 160. Rest member 202 includes a cradle-shaped endportion having a flap 204 hinged thereto. Flap 204 and cradle endportion surround and enclose pick-up arm 14, with flap 204 being pivotedto an upright position to allow for removal of pick-up arm 14 from restmember 202.

Turning again to FIG. 3A a hollow conduit 210 is shown to extend axiallythrough a portion of sleeve member 42 and slot 64. Conduit 210 surroundsand supports a portion of signal wire generally designated at 212 whichextends from the stylus, through inner tubular member 18, attachmentassembly 110 and conduit 210. The wire then travels through the hollowpassageway 70 formed in shaft 54. In a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, a heavy duty signal wire, for example 30 gauge wire,may be employed within tubular member 18, while a much lighter weightlitz-type wire, for example 44 gauge, may be employed within attachmentassembly 110 and conduit 210 to significantly reduce the overall drageffect of the wire on the pivotal movement of pick-up arm 14. While 30gauge and 44 gauge have been cited as examples of the type of wireemployed, it is within the scope of the present invention to employ anyconventional gauge signal wire for transmitting through the tone armassembly. For example, the Litz-type wire may be replaced with 5 twistedstrains of 44 gauge wire.

Shaft member 54 may be formed of a material such as brass, while theupper section 40 of housing 12 may conveniently be formed of eitherplexiglass, aluminum or a resin-based plastic compound such as soldunder the trade name "Rynite", with the lower section 42 of housing 12being formed of aluminum. However, a variety of other, similar typematerials may be employed for housing 12 as well as shaft 54.

The present invention also provides a unique apparatus and method forproperly installing the tone arm assembly as well as the pick-upcartridge. It is assumed that the effective length of the tone arm, i.e.the distance along an imaginary line drawn between the horizontal pivotand the stylus tip is known. It is further assumed that the offsetangle, i.e. the angle between the longitudinal axis of the styluscantilever and imaginary line defining the effective length is known.Finally, it is assumed that the overhang, i.e. the distance the stylustip should extend beyond the turntable spindle is known. Even thoughthese geometrical relationships are easily determinable for a specifictone arm assembly, many conventional tone arm makers fail to providesufficient information on how to precisely install the tone arm and itspick-up cartridge. In comparison, the present invention provides a quickand highly accurate procedure for installing the tone arm with minimumerror.

For purposes of explanation only, it may be assumed that the tone armassembly shown in FIGS. 17-19 has the following dimensions: effectivelength 235 mm, offset angle of 23.5°, and overhang of 17.638 mm. Forpurposes of explanation, the effective length is designated EL, theoffset angle is designated angle α and the overhand is designated OH.

An alignment nipple 30' includes a body 31' having cylindrically-shapedopening 32' sufficient in size to allow nipple 30' to be inserted on aspindle S extending from a turn table, not shown. A pin-shapedprojection 33' extends from body 31' in a direction coinciding with thelongitudinal axis of spindle S. Projection 33' has an outer diameterslightly less than a diameter of an aperture 34' formed through aportion 30' of a headshell 24'.

Alignment nipple 30' is removably mounted on spindle S and a tone armassembly 10 including headshell 24' is pivoted until aperture 34' isvertically aligned with pin-shaped projection 33'. When headshell 24' isproperly positioned over spindle S projection 33' is capable ofinsertion through aperture 34'. In order to establish the correctmounting position of the tone arm base plate on the turntable prior toalignment of headshell 24' with spindle S, a template may be employed.

Once the tone arm assembly has been properly positioned on theturntable, the arm tube can be disconnected to provide for installationof the pick-up cartridge on the headshell 24'.

An alignment fixture 40' is preferably employed to ensure precisepositioning of the pick-up cartridge. The alignment fixture 40'preferably includes an L-shaped member formed by a pair of leg portions42' and 44' extending perpendicular to one another. Leg portion 42'includes three spaced flange portions 45A', 45B' and 45C' extendingoutwardly therefrom. Each of the flanges 45A' and 45C' have generallysimilar shapes and are spaced sufficient distances from flange 45B' toallow insertion of an adjustment tool such as a screw drivertherebetween. Flange 45B' has a substantially rectangular configurationand includes a cylindrically-shaped boss 46' extending parallel to legportion 44'. Boss 46' has a diameter slightly less than a diameter of anaperture 48' extending through headshell 24'. Alignment fixture 40'further includes a substantially rectangularly shaped clear plate 50'pivotally attached to an end of leg portion 44' remotely positioned fromleg portion 42'. Preferably, plate 50' is formed of plexiglass or thelike and can be pivoted to either side of leg portion 44'. A cross-hairindex 52' is formed on plate 50' with a point of intersection 53'corresponding to proper overhang of the stylus tip, in this example17.638 mm ahead of spindle S.

Headshell 24' is inverted and positioned such that boss 46' projectsthrough aperture 48'. A pick-up cartridge, not shown, is then arrangedon headshell 24' until the stylus tip contacts cross-hair intersection53'. The pick-up cartridge is further adjusted such that the styluscantilever aligns with the longitudinal axis of plate 50' as manifestedby cross-hair 54'. Once the pick-up cartridge is properly mounted onheadshell 24', an appropriate fastening tool is inserted between flanges45A' and 45B' and between flanges 45B' and 45C' to tighten conventionalfastening screws extending from the pick-up cartridge into clampingengagement with the headshell.

The present invention is not to be limited to the above-discussedembodiments, but is to be limited only by the scope of the followingclaims.

I claim:
 1. A phonograph assembly comprising:(a) a pivotable tone-armsub-assembly comprising an elongated tone arm, a counterweightpositioned toward one end of said tone arm, and a head shell adapted formounting a cartridge in an operative position toward the opposite end ofsaid tone arm, said cartridge comprising a stylus fixed to a styluscantilever, said catridge cantilever having a longitudinal axis; (b) aunipivot bearing for supporting said sub-assembly for pivotal movementabout a pivot point, said pivot point being positioned with respect tothe center of gravity of said sub-assembly such that displacing saidtone arm sub-assembly and operably positioned cartridge from any givenposition by pivoting it generates no appreciable force tending torestore said tone arm to said given position; and (c) lateral balancingmeans comprising two balancing members extending outwardly from oppositesides of said tone arm sub-assembly, said members being positioned sothat an axis running from one said member to the other said member isperpendicular to said stylus cantilever axis and intersects a verticalline through said pivot point slightly below said pivot point; wherebysaid assembly is in a balanced condition such that (1) saidcounterweight can be adjusted to create a desired tracking force, (2)said lateral balancing means defines a preferred vertical pivoting planeperpendicular to said axis running between said lateral balancingmembers, thus providing a beam balance force resisting rotation of saidelongated tone arm about its longitudinal axis and maintaining saidstylus cantilever in said preferred pivoting plane during verticalpivoting of said tone arm, and (3) vertical pivoting of the tone armover a warped record does not generate appreciable restoring force, thusmaintaining said tracking force substantially constant during saidvertical pivoting.
 2. A phonograph assembly according to claim 1including a substantially rigid tone arm sub-assembly having one endattached to a housing and the other end attached to said head shell,saidtone arm sub-assembly including a first tubular member and a secondtubular member surrounding and spaced from said first tubular member,with each tubular member extending between said housing and said headshell, and a plurality of concentric energy-absorbing bands positionedbetween the first and second tubular members for suppressing vibrationsfrom being transmitted through said tone arm sub-assembly.
 3. A tone armbalancing assembly comprising the phonograph assembly of claim 1wherein,(a) said balancing assembly comprises a frame with a supportassembly, including a support shaft extending therefrom; (b) saidtone-arm sub-assembly includes:(1) a housing portion positioned adjacentto said support assembly, said tone arm extending outwardly from a sideof said housing, and a balancing arm extending outwardly from anopposite side of said housing, wherein said tone arm supports said headshell and said balancing arm portion supports said counterweight with alongitudinal axis extending between said balancing arm portion and saidtone arm portion; and (2) said unipivot bearing extends between saidtone arm sub-assembly and said support shaft.
 4. A tone arm balancingassembly according to claim 3 wherein said counterweight comprises aneasily removable counterweight assembly, said counterweight assemblycomprising a balancing arm having an attachment portion and a fixed shoefastened to said housing, said shoe comprising an aperture adapted forreceiving said attachment portion, andsaid balancing arm with attachedcounterweight being insertable into said retaining shoe and secured inplace by fixing screw.
 5. A tone arm balancing assembly according toclaim 3 wherein said unipivot bearing comprises a vertically extendingpivot pin assembly attached to a cap-shaped end portion of said housingportion and extending into a cup-shaped end portion of said supportassembly, andthe point of contact between said pivot pin assembly andsaid recess coincides with said center of gravity.
 6. A tone armbalancing assembly according to claim 3, wherein said housing portionincludes a cylindrically-shaped outer surface, with said tone armportion and said balancing arm portion extending substantiallyperpendicularly from said outer surface and spaced 180° from one anotheras measured about the circumference of said outer surface of saidhousing portion.
 7. A tone arm balancing assembly according to claim 3,wherein said lateral balancing means comprises a pair of threaded shaftmembers extending from said housing portion on opposite sides of thelongitudinal axis of said tone arm sub-assembly, with each shaftsupporting a counterweight mounted thereon,each of said threaded shaftmembers forming an angle with both said tone arm portion and saidbalancing arm portion, with a common center of gravity for said pair ofthreaded shafts and respective counterweight assemblies located in ahorizontal plane positioned vertically beneath a horizontal planeextending through the longitudinal axis of said tone arm sub-assemblywhen in a rest position.
 8. A tone arm balancing assembly according toclaim 7, wherein each threaded shaft and counterweight assembly mountedthereon has a center of gravity intersecting an imaginary vertical planeextending through said tone arm sub-assembly, said imaginary verticalplane being displaced in a clockwise direction by an angle ofsubstantially 23° as compared to a further imaginary vertical planeextending perpendicular to a longitudinal axis through said tone armsub-assembly.
 9. A balancing assembly according to claim 3, wherein saidsupport assembly includes a substantially straight support shaftextending in a vertically downward direction from said housingportion,said support assembly further includes a base plate fixedlymounted on said phonograph assembly frame and formed with an elongatedslot sufficient in size to allow said support shaft to extendtherethrough.
 10. A tone arm balancing assembly according to claim 9,wherein said support assembly further includes a slide membersurrounding said shaft and arranged on a side of said base plateremotely positioned from said housing portion,said support assemblyfurther includes a mounting block assembly slidably mounted on said baseplate and fixedly attached to said slide member, wherein said mountingblock and slide members overlap opposite sides of said elongated slot.11. A tone arm balancing assembly according to claim 10, wherein saidmounting block assembly includes a cavity having a clamping blockslidably disposed therein, said cavity and said clamping block havingconfronting semi-cylindrical surface portions forming an aperture of asize sufficient to allow said support shaft to extend through saidmounting block,said mounting block further includes engagement means forbiasing said confronting semi-cylindrical surface portions intofrictional contact with said support shaft.
 12. A tone arm balancingassembly according to claim 3, wherein a carrier assembly at leastpartially encloses said balancing arm portion, said carrier assemblysupporting a hollow counterweight assembly for joint movementtherewith,said carrier assembly including drive means engaging saidbalancing arm portion for selectively altering the position of saidcarrier assembly and counterweight without altering the position of thecenter of gravity of said counterweight relative to a longitudinal axisthrough said balancing arm portion.
 13. A phonograph assembly of thetype including a support assembly pivotally supporting a tone armassembly mounted thereon,said tone arm assembly including a supportcollar and balancing arm extending through said support collar and acounterweight surrounding a portion of said support collar, with a pairof radially aligned grooves formed in confronting surface portions ofsaid support collar and said counterweight, and dampening means engagingand extending between said pairs of radially aligned grooves forsupporting said counterweight while suppressing vibrations from beingtransmitted between said counterweight and said balancing arm, saiddampening means comprising a ring of resiliently deformable material.14. A removable counterweight assembly for applying a predeterminedtracking force to a pivotally mounted tone arm, and comprising:abalancing arm removably attached to a housing supporting said pivotallymounted tone arm, said balancing arm supporting an adjustable carrierassembly having a counterweight mounted thereon, said carrier assemblyincluding drive means engaging said balancing arm for selectivelyaltering the position of said carrier assembly and counterweight alongsaid balancing arm without rotating said counterweight and therebypossibly altering the position of the counterweight center of gravityrelative to a lateral axis through said balancing arm, said carrierassembly including a hub portion completely enclosing a portion of saidbalancing arm and a substantially U-shaped sleeve portion partiallyenclosing a further portion of said balancing arm, said hub portionincluding a groove of sufficient size to receive a ring of energyabsorbing material which contacts and provides the sole support for saidcounterweight, said drive means comprising a pinion gear rotatablysupported between said U-shaped sleeve portion, said pinion gear meshingwith a rack gear formed in a vertically bottom surface of said balancingarm, and said drive means further comprising a control handle attachedto said pinion gear for joint rotation, wherein rotation of said piniongear causes said carrier assembly and attached counterweight to moverelative to said fixed rack gear, to alter the tracking force acting onthe pivotable tone arm.